


how to survive college and falling for the girl in red.

by thoughtsofpastlovers



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 16:44:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6247744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoughtsofpastlovers/pseuds/thoughtsofpastlovers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I go to King’s too. Weird how I’ve never seen you around, one would think I would notice a girl as pretty as you are” Maria said, brushing her fingers over Eliza’s knuckles. “I major in chemistry,” she said before laughing a little bit, “oh my god, I’m so sorry, that probably sounded like a really cheesy pick up line. I actually do major in chem though. Science has always been my thing,” Maria said and Eliza couldn’t help but laugh. “I mean, unless you want it to be a cheesy pick up line,” Maria said with a smile, suddenly turning the conversation back into its normal flirty state.</p>
<p>“I can’t say I would mind,” Eliza said, looking Maria in the eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	how to survive college and falling for the girl in red.

**Author's Note:**

> so here's the one-off scene with maria and eliza at the bar  
> you don't have to read the other fic(s) in the series to understand, but if you still want to that would be great.  
> i hope you like it, i'm actually pretty proud with how this turned out.

Eliza noticed Miss Maria Reynolds the moment she had walked in the bar. Eliza had been sitting with her friends since Angelica, her sister, was back in town. Eliza loves her sister, but she couldn’t help getting distracted by Maria. 

Eliza left to go walk over to the girl sitting at the bar. 

“Hey,” the other girl said nonchalantly, looking over to Eliza. 

“Hi,” Eliza responded, trying not to forget the English language.

She wasn’t doing too well.

“I’m Maria,” the other girl said, offering Eliza her hand.

“Eliza,” she responded as she took the stranger's hand in hers. 

“Those your friends?” Maria asked, nodding her head over towards the group Eliza came from. 

“Yeah. My sister is back in town from Manhattan,” she explained and Maria seemed to hang on to whatever words she said, even if they weren't that important. 

“What’s she doing in Manhattan?” Maria asked, resting her elbow on the bar. Eliza wasn’t sure if she was technically supposed to tell anyone about what her sister was doing so she just made something up. 

“Oh, just work. She’s been trying to get into journalism,” Eliza said and Maria smiled.

“What about you?” Maria asked and Eliza blushed a little bit.

“I’m actually still a student at King’s College. Law major,” Eliza said and Maria sat up straighter. 

“I go to King’s too. Weird how I’ve never seen you around, one would think I would notice a girl as pretty as you are” Maria said, brushing her fingers over Eliza’s knuckles. “I major in chemistry,” she said before laughing a little bit, “oh my god, I’m so sorry, that probably sounded like a really cheesy pick up line. I actually do major in chem though. Science has always been my thing,” Maria said and Eliza couldn’t help but laugh. “I mean, unless you want it to be a cheesy pick up line,” Maria said with a smile, suddenly turning the conversation back into its normal flirty state.

“I can’t say I would mind,” Eliza said, looking Maria in the eyes. 

Her eyes were dark and almost sinister. Her makeup was done almost flawlessly and all Eliza wanted to do was sit and study her face. The arch of her eyebrows, the curve of her lips, the slight highlight of freckles on her nose. Her red lipstick looked almost painted on; she looked like a downright model. No, that wasn’t fair; she looked like a goddess. She looked like a goddess and Eliza just wanted to melt.

“Would now be an appropriate time to buy you a drink?” Maria asked and Eliza noticed how much she loved this girl’s smile. It seemed so bright; her perfect white teeth lit up the room. She was in complete lust for Maria. 

“Sure, uhm, I mean you don’t have-,” 

“It’s my pleasure,” Maria said, cutting her off. Eliza thanked the lord she shut her up.

~***~

Eliza had noticed Lafayette looking at her but chose to ignore his gaze. She would probably have some explaining to do later and she knew she would never hear the end of it from him. But _damn_ was it worth it. They had a couple minutes of polite conversation just asking basic things like how old the other was. Maria was 20. Eliza was 19. 

“So tell me about your friends. They good people?” Maria asked after a moment, turning to face the table Eliza came from when she noticed Eliza looking over at them. 

“Yeah, they’re all wonderful people. That’s Angelica on the end, Peggy next to her. They're both my sisters, we’re all adopted,” Eliza said like it was nothing as Maria turned back to face her. “Then Lafayette;he moved here from France. Then Hercules, John and Alexander,” Eliza finished up, noticing John and Alex were still pressed close together as John laughed at something Hercules had said, kinda falling into Alex. 

“The two on the end, John and Alex?” Maria said, turning to face them before turning her attention back to Eliza. 

“They dating?” she asked and Eliza laughed a little bit as the bartender handed them the drinks Maria had ordered moments ago. 

“No, not yet at least. Alex actually just came to King’s yesterday. He’s a newbie. He seems like he has the best of intentions. Definitely a lot better then John’s old roommate,” Eliza said and Maria nodded her head. “But I won’t bore you with details,” Eliza said and Maria grabbed her hand. 

“Eliza I don’t think you could bore me,” Maria said sweetly and the blush on Eliza’s face was very evident.

A couple of moments went by before either one of them spoke. 

“Reynolds,” Maria said, looking in Eliza’s eyes. Eliza looked back at her, a little confused.“Maria Reynolds. That’s my name,” she explained, holding her drink in her hands. 

“Schuyler,” Eliza responded before pulling out her phone. “Here, put your number in,” Eliza said as she unlocked her phone and handed it to Maria.

**Maria <3**

Eliza wasn’t gonna change the contact name.

“Eliza Schuyler,” Maria whispered; just hearing her name fall from her lips sent a shiver down Eliza’s spine. “That’s a pretty name,” Maria said, a little louder as she grabbed Eliza’s hand. “Did you wanna maybe come back to my apartment? I only live down the street from the campus. I promise I won’t try any funny business, I just really want to get to know you,” Maria asked, looking Eliza straight in the eye, almost seeming to study them. Maria wanted to memorize every detail, the exact color of her eyes, _everything_ she could about Eliza Schuyler.

Eliza was silent for a moment before she whispered.

“Yeah,” she said, “Yeah I would love to,” Eliza said a little more confidently as Maria took her hand before they walked out of the bar.

~***~

The two girls walked arm-in-arm back to Maria’s apartment and despite it being _freezing_ outside, Eliza felt warm standing next to Maria. But maybe that was just the alcohol. 

“This is it,” Maria said as they started to walk up the steps to the apartment building; she wasn’t kidding, you could see the campus behind her apartment.

Maria’s apartment was on the third floor; number 315. It was absolutely stunning; exposed brick, red curtains, wooden dining set, a small bar area leading into her kitchen, a black couch and her sliding glass door led out to the fire escape which Eliza assumed led up to the roof. There were two bedrooms, one on the left side of the apartment and one on the right. There was even a small fireplace tucked into the wall next to the bedroom on the left side. 

“Wow,” Eliza said under her breath looking around as Maria locked her apartment door. 

“Black and red has always been a favorite color scheme of mine,” Maria said with a smile as she turned to look at Eliza.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked, walking off to her kitchen. “I’ve got red wine, whiskey, vodka, and I’m pretty sure I have tequila here somewhere,” Maria said, looking in her cabinet. 

“Damn I thought you said you were only 20,” Eliza said with a laugh as she sat on the couch. 

“It’s amazing what a low cut shirt and a horny cashier can do, pick your poison,” Maria called from the other room and Eliza could feel her smile even though she couldn’t see it. 

“I’ll take the wine,” Eliza said as she pulled out her phone; she had fifteen texts from Lafayette. 

She’ll get back to him later. 

“So, Eliza Schuyler,” Maria said as she handed Eliza the glass of wine as she joined her on the couch, kicking her shoes off and tucking her feet underneath her. “Tell me everything one needs to know about you,” Maria continued, looking back into Eliza’s eyes. By now the sun had been long set and the only thing lighting up the room was a dim lamp Eliza hadn’t even noticed Maria turned on. The dim light made her see Maria in a whole new way.

She was fucking _beautiful._

“Well, what do you want to know? You know I’m 19, a law major, and I have two adopted sisters,” Eliza listed off, watching as Maria took a drink from her own wine glass. Even the way she held the glass was alluring to Eliza. 

“What are your hobbies?” Maria asked, lowering the glass from her lips. 

“Well, I used to sing back in high school. I doodle but it’s nothing great, usually just on napkins or scrap pieces of paper,” Eliza said as she noticed Maria’s eyes light up. 

“I used to sing too, I’m sure you have a beautiful voice,” Maria said and Eliza laughed, causing her nose to crinkle up. Maria thought it was adorable.

“Oh my lord, I really wasn’t that good. It was just in my school’s choir and we were not the best thing out there,” Eliza said as she remembered her high school days as if they were years in the past.

“Oh hush, even your speaking voice is perfect,” Maria smiled and Eliza couldn’t help but blush. “I’m being serious. I have no idea how you’re still single,” Maria said, raising her eyebrows before taking a drink from her wine. 

“Well, I’m a female law major and people find me intimidating,” Eliza responded, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear in an attempt to look not flustered. 

“Well I think you’re brave for going into such a male dominated profession. I’ve only known you for a couple hours but I know you are more than qualified, Eliza,” Maria said matter-of-factly, moving in a little closer to Eliza.

Maria’s perfume smelled like cinnamon and Eliza just wanted to bury her face in the scent. But Maria was right, they hadn’t known each other for that long. She had to calm down.

She also needed a drink.

She took a little more than a sip of her wine before responding to Maria’s compliment. 

“Well thank you, I’m sure it’s not easy being a female chemist either,” Eliza said and Maria shrugged. 

“People still assume I’m just some hot chick who got into the department by fucking her way there. Believe it or not, I’m actually just a really _smart_ hot chick who definitely did not fuck Mr. Andersen,” Maria smirked and Eliza couldn’t help but laugh.

Maria loved seeing Eliza laugh. She loved making her laugh. The way her eyes lit up, the way her nose crinkled, the way she always seemed to lift her free hand in front of her mouth almost seeming to hide her face. It was adorable. Eliza was adorable. 

“You definitely aren’t wrong,” Eliza agreed and Maria cocked her head to the side with a small, confused smirk on her face. “You are smart, and I would be a liar if I said I didn’t find you attractive,” Eliza said, a slight blush appearing back on her cheeks and Maria smiled. 

“Tell me more,” Maria said, putting her wine glass down on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch, turning all of her attention to Eliza.

“Well, for starters, I don’t know if you’ve looked in the mirror lately, Miss. Maria Reynolds, but you are super cute,” Eliza admitted; under normal, perhaps _sober_ , circumstances she wouldn’t have admitted that. But her mind was obviously a little fogged. Eliza couldn’t make out if it was the alcohol or just the beauty of the girl sitting besides her. 

_Both. It was definitely both._

“Your eyes are pretty. The way you say my name makes me melt. The freckles on your nose. The color of your eyes. Just the way you carry yourself,” Eliza said, just spitting out the list of things she found intriguing, “Your makeup is done effortlessly, you’re smart, witty, and your perfume smells heavenly,” she continued and Maria smiled.

“Eliza Schuyler,” Maria said; her voice low as she moved even closer to Eliza. Maria was about 95 percent sure she heard Eliza whine after she said her name.

“I don’t think you understand how happy I am that I walked into that bar tonight,” she said, taking the wine glass out of Eliza’s hand and putting it on the table next to her own. “I wasn’t kidding when I said how surprised I am that you’re single,” she said, locking eyes with the younger girl once again. 

“You’re stunning; not just physically, but mentally. The way you talk, you sound like you know what you’re doing. You could read the dictionary to me and I would still hang on to every single word you said,” Maria said, grabbing a piece of Eliza’s hair and twisting it around her finger. “I really like you, which is weird because I usually don’t fall for people this fast. But you’re different, Eliza,” Maria said in a voice quiet enough for only Eliza to hear, even though they were the only two there. “I want to learn everything I can about you; what political party you support, what your favorite color is, your favorite season, favorite flowers, favorite chapstick flavor,” Maria listed as Eliza watched her with wide eyes. “I’ve only just met you and I feel as though I’ve had a crush on you for _years,_ ” Maria said, now just about nose-to-nose to Eliza. 

Eliza swallowed hard, her eyes darting around Maria’s face. “Me too,” Eliza managed to choke out as Maria softly stroked Eliza’s face. Her cheeks were warm and rosy, and Eliza seemed to melt into the touch. 

Eliza was never one to hold back feelings. If she liked you, she told you. If she wanted you dead, well, she made it known. While maybe she would’ve waited a little longer to tell Maria under normal circumstances, this wasn’t a normal circumstance. She was in complete lust for Maria.

“I’m only gonna do this if you want me to, Eliza,” Maria said, still slightly caressing Eliza’s face. “Because I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. But I do like you. A lot.” Maria whispered; their foreheads were practically touching, only separated by the thinnest layer of air.

Eliza forgot how to form words. She forgot the fucking English language. All Eliza knew was that there is an insanely hot girl who likes her sitting right in front of her, and she liked her too. She just felt stuck in place as her eyes looked straight into Maria’s. 

Maria _knew_ what she was doing to Eliza. She knew what the look in Eliza’s eye meant. She knew she had Eliza’s consent to kiss her. But Maria wanted to hear her say it, because she also knew that Eliza was at a complete loss for words. It made Maria’s head spin, she almost felt a little dizzy. She didn’t mind.

Eliza opened her mouth to speak. “I like you too,” she whispered in a daze and Maria almost didn't hear it. Eliza wasn’t entirely sure if she even said the words out loud. 

_Blueberry,_ Maria thought to herself as soon as she kissed Eliza. 

Her favorite chapstick flavor is blueberry. 

Maria was gentle in lacing her fingers through Eliza’s hair. She felt Eliza inhale deeply through her nose, suddenly putting more passion into their kiss. 

Eliza smiled into the kiss and she felt Maria do the same. It wasn’t long before Eliza noticed Maria had shifted them into a different, more comfortable, position. Maria straddled Eliza’s lap, moving the hair out of Eliza’s face. 

Maria released the kiss and swung her hair to the left side. Eliza didn’t even have time to process what all was happening before she felt Maria kiss her way slowly down Eliza’s jawline and onto the right side of her neck. Maria held on to Eliza’s sides like she was trying to keep Eliza, and herself if she was being honest, from floating away. 

“Talk to me, love,” Maria said, continuing to kiss at Eliza’s neck.

Eliza’s head was spinning. She had so much to say, she just didn’t know how. Of course she had been kissed before, but she never felt like this. She felt alert, completely awake, like all the alcohol had been drained from her system and now she was just drunk on Maria. 

Eliza had one girlfriend in high school but she knew they wouldn’t last. But as of right now, she felt like she could stay like this with Maria forever. The feeling of Maria’s hands on the sides of her stomach, the smell of her cinnamon perfume-

Eliza opened her mouth to say something, but the thought was immediately lost when Maria kissed a spot on Eliza’s neck behind her ear that made Eliza _shudder._

“Do not do that again,” Eliza muttered, grabbing at Maria’s back.

“Oh you’re no fun,” Maria teased before Eliza grabbed Maria’s face and pulling her in for another kiss. 

They stayed like that for the rest of the night. No sex, just sitting on the couch, making out, and cuddling.

Eliza had never felt so alive and so happy until that night.

**Author's Note:**

> i may write about the morning after but as of right now i'm just gonna leave it at that.  
> also, eliza's love for blueberry chapstick is universal.  
> did you like it? please feel free to leave comments, i love hearing your guys' feedback  
> follow my tumblr @bitchythespianhologram


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